IN MY HANDS
By the Certified Loser Phantwo J Fou

Author's notes: This time around, I'm going to apologise for taking a while with this one. I took a break for almost a week after posting the last chapter from writing this one. Finally, I'm shown mercy from school with a weekend, so I can return to writing. Now . . . think fast, Link!

Chapter Five
A Lesson in Pyrotechnics

Thunk!

The floor master smashing into the door behind me. . . .

Creeeeeak!

The walls closing in on either side of me. . . .

Liiiiiink!

The fairy hovering by my shoulder. . . .

Cuuuuurses!

Me. . . .

For the twenty millionth time since entering this temple, my heart ached with the painful knowledge that at my hands the world would fall to ruin—because I'd been careless and stupid and had entered a room like this and had been impaled and crushed. Utterly paralysed by fear and a sudden pang of guilt, I allowed precious seconds to go by and the walls to come closer and closer, preparing themselves for the easy kill before them.

For some reason, I had a sudden horrid vision of the two walls coming alive and emitting a sinister laugh at me, the famed Hero of Time, who had just unwittingly walked into a trap. . . .

Then I wondered what was wrong with me that I was giving life, breath, thought and feeling to a pair of wooden walls covered with splintery spikes.

Wooden walls . . .?

"Navi," I said without warning, "these walls are wooden."

"Oh, are they?" she remarked impatiently. "Isn't that just wonderful, Link? They're wooden—and they're still going to murder us both if you don't turn your fool back and exit this room immediately!"

"No, Navi," I replied calmly. "They're wood. And I'm sure you know as well as I do that wood—"

Without finishing I closed my eyes, allowed my mind to wander, and reached into my quiver for a small crystal. At first glance one would never guess what idea I'd conjured; they'd pass me off as another callow schoolboy with a soft spot for pretty trinkets. A small clear crystal with a glossy orange light emanating from the centre, resembling an eternal fire—yes, another pretty toy for another shallow kid.

But no, this crystal signified so much more than that. . . .

Clutching it tightly in my left hand, I released a shout and threw my hands toward the ground. A shout, which summoned the power that this crystal really stood for—the power of Din's Fire.

Instantly a bright light flashed, and an orange glow started to form around me. Soon the glow became a raging fire, expanding until it engulfed everything in the room with its divine flame. And then, suddenly, as quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared completely.

Both walls, too, had disappeared in the process.

I danced.

That is, I danced until I noticed two flaming zombies—ReDeads, Navi'd called them—one waiting for me at each end of the room. Thankfully I stopped then, for Navi was zipping back and forth, giving me the impression she'd been getting tired of watching me execute the clumsy flailing of my limbs in every direction, the manoeuvre I referred to as a dance. Uttering a low curse—raspberries—I reached for the Ocarina of Time to put these anxious souls to rest.

And so I played the Sun's Song. Like the other songs I knew—Saria's Song, Zelda's Lullaby, and other such songs—this song held a strange power; but it was a power unlike the other songs I knew. The power to relax the restless souls of those who had lived before, whose spirits were now spent and weary, the power to control a former king in his quest for peace—the power to grant him that wish.

At the last note, I drew the sacred instrument from my lips and cringed at the sickening shriek that followed. The rotten flesh of the two visitors from the tomb shrivelled further and slowly faded from a hideous brown to white as they were sealed by the song's mysterious power. But even had I wanted to, I lacked the time to marvel at the stunt; so upon the completion of the seal, I glanced around the room for something helpful.

And there it was!

"Look, Navi, to the right—there it is!" I made a frenzied point at what I saw. "I'm a good guesser! It's in here! It's in here!"

She responded sarcastically, "Yes, Link, I am not blind. I am also not deaf, although I fear if you keep up with this shouting, I might just become deaf. And I don't suppose you're much of a guesser, either—just very, very lucky that the floor master chased you in here."

So much for appreciation.

I shrugged weakly. "Very well, I'm sorry for shouting. But there it is." And yes, there it was, it being the blue-and-gold chest that contained that gaudy and overdecorated key I required to access my release from the Shadow Temple—the key to my freedom.

My steps there were unsteady, for I had begun to tremble at that prospect. Freedom—freedom to think, to breathe, to walk. Freedom—freedom from pain, from fear, from weariness. Freedom—freedom to wonder, to relax, to see.

To see. . . .

I knew that this experience would scar me forever, that nevermore would I be capable of walking with certainty that I wasn't going to make a tiny wrong move and wind up tumbling down into a pit of eternal darkness, that nevermore would I be able to go anywhere without the Lens of Truth to guide my steps.

And therefore I'd never be able to discard it. A thousand curses upon Ganondorf, the Shadow Temple, and my wretched dependence!

I allowed my hands to fall onto the surface of the chest and caress the surface of my freedom. To some it was just an ordinary box; but to me. . . . No, to me it was so much more than a simple box! Kneeling down reverently to open it, a swell of emotion rose in my chest and I immediately forced it down. Then tenderly I reached for the latch, flipped it and slowly began to lift the lid of the blue chest.

Inside, on a royal blue velvet cushion, was the large gold key with a red gem embedded in it—the large, gold, overdecorated, overextravagant and gaudy key that I needed. Unable to suppress a grin, I reached down hesitantly, hardly daring to believe it when I felt the sensation of the key in my hands.

In my hands—like the fate of Hyrule. A gold key, a small silver key, a majestic land blessed by the Three Goddesses—essentially, how were they different, when they were placed in my hands?

Wonderingly I stared at the prize I had endeavoured so much for. So much effort for so small an object! It never ceased to amaze me how the littlest things could have such an impact on the world—a single wrong step and a life could be ended, a carelessly placed match and the entire Lost Woods could burn down. A beautiful threshold could guard a mere trinket, while a plain and indistinct doorway could house all the suffering of the world. Life was full of strange facts, oddities and paradoxes; perhaps someday I'd understand them. Perhaps.

Navi fluttered in front of my face. "Now that you've spent a good amount of time gawking at the key, perhaps we go back out and use the key?"

I nodded slowly, slipping it into my quiver—which, I noticed uneasily, was running short of arrows—gently. "Forgive me, Navi. Surely you can spare me a moment to gaze incredulously at the item which shall lead me either to my quietus as Hyrule's Anointed Saviour or my freedom from this accursed place." Carelessly I threw a glance towards one of the still-sealed ReDeads. "You have one guess to choose which of those two options I'm hoping for."

"The former, definitely," she said nonchalantly and without hesitation.

Turning leisurely on my heel—for there was, for once, no need to rush—I strolled over to the door. "Yes, that's it, Navi." Then I sauntered casually through the door.

. . . into the waiting grasp of the floor master I'd left behind! By Farore, I was some smart stuff, wasn't I?

"Link!" Navi shouted alarmingly, "watch out!"

Thank you, Ms. Obvious, a droll voice in my head murmured. I nodded and, lifting my shield wearily, I prepared for the staggering impact of the floor master that had stood patiently by the door for me to emerge. "Very well, Navi, I'm watching out . . . and where is the blasted thing anyway? I don't—"

Smack!

There it was.

I sidestepped rather clumsily and yanked my sword of the scabbard on my back with one rather jerky motion. My good monster-fighting mood had evaporated entirely after being yelled at by my own fairy, to my chagrin, and therefore my strength was failing me. Deciding this battle was one I didn't want to face, I held my shield towards the creature and started running. If it should catch up, I'd deal with it then. . . .

Then I smacked headfirst into a wall.

I didn't know it was a wall. When last I had looked, there hadn't been a wall there. When I opened my eyes, disoriented and annoyed as I was, I still didn't see a wall. But my now-bleeding forehead and aching limbs told me otherwise, and so I wondered for a moment before I recalled my discoveries earlier when I glanced through the Lens of Truth.

"Navi, why didn't you tell me there was a wall there?" I groaned as I stumbled away, adjusting my path and feeling in front of me for an opening. But she didn't answer me. So, irritably, I turned back to face the floor master. Though a challenge was the last thing my tired heart desired, a challenge was upon me, and I hadn't the ability to refuse.

Its already-vile skin began to glow an even viler green, which made my stomach turn over a few times before I raised my trusty shield to fend it off. Resentfully I watched it as it viciously prepared to assault me. "By the way, Navi, I've never had the chance to thank you for being so helpful on this quest." After a moment of powering up, it shot forward toward me. "You've just assisted me through every trial—" It bounced off my shield and I bounced back from the impact. "—and tribulation—" I stepped forward with my sword in hand. "—thus far, and I sincerely—" I lunged forward with the Master Sword. "—thank you for offering me so much—" The Sacred Sword sliced through the gruesome creature. "—needed knowledge when I ask for it—" Releasing an ugly scream, the floor master tore into a trio of smaller masters. "—like where that wall came from!" I proceeded to whip out my bow to finish off the remaining pieces of the floor master.

"You're welcome," Navi replied sweetly. "And if ever you need more information, don't hesitate to ask, dear hero."

"I'll keep that in mind," I muttered, chasing after the tedious rascals.

It wouldn't have taken me so long if I didn't crash into another wall in the process of killing them. This time I fell straight to the floor, my vision went fuzzy for a minute, and then I jumped up just before one of my targets leapt onto my throat and murdered me as I lay prostrate and defenceless on the ungodly floor of the Shadow Temple. Since they'd come running back to me after seeing me fall, I took them out without much more trouble or wasted time. But my temple was now bleeding and my limbs and chest ached from my rather less than graceful collision with the invisible wall, so I couldn't say that I'd come out of the battle unscathed. Somehow, though my enemies never even touched me, they had still managed to injure me, to throw me off my feet. Not even when I was the victor had I truly won.

With my senses spinning wildly, I leant against one of the invisible walls with my ears ringing and my vision still hazy. I shut my eyes for a moment to collect myself, but opened them frantically a second later when I thought I heard a clanging sound. I glanced round the room for the source of the perceived cacophony, but nothing seemed to have changed. I searched for another few seconds in vain, becoming more convinced with each second that I'd imagined it. My ears were still playing tricks on me, after all . . .

Then another crashing sound caught my attention, and I jumped. This time, however, my quick search revealed that I'd merely dropped my sword—and lying on the ground next to it was my hookshot. Of course. I must have dropped it earlier. Both sounds now explained, I leaned down to collect my tools.

Slowly, feeling blood rushing to my head, I stood up and fought to retain consciousness. With my heartbeat still pounding heavily in my ears, I scanned the room for the exit—and the remaining floor master, who had mysteriously disappeared—and noticed I had a slight dilemma. I knew that I'd entered this room through a doorway, but I hadn't realised that it was one of three other doorways. Curses. My shoulders sagged with my misery. But there was minor cause to be happy; at least the floor master was nowhere to be found.

With a sigh, I began to speak. "All right, Navi, do you have any conscious recollection of which door I came in through? I know that this one was to my right, but—Navi? Navi, are you listening?"

At the ensuing silence, I whirled frantically.

The little blue fairy was nowhere to be seen.

How strange that when Navi was with me, my only thoughts were of how much I desired to exterminate her and release myself from her presence; and yet when she disappeared like this, without so much as a warning screech, I should be tearing out my hair with worry! Indeed, as I took an unsteady step forward, shouting her name with panic rising in my voice, my actions continually surprised me . . . I never imagined I'd completely lose my composure because my irritable but dependable guardian decided to vanish.

But then, love works in strange ways, doesn't it? I remember that after leaving the forest those years ago, I cried because I missed Mido of all unlikely people. . . .

"Where are you, Navi?" I shrieked, looking around me in a hopeless attempt to find my fairy. "Confound it, you were here just a second ago! Where are you? Where'd you—"

Breaking off, I started to run back to the door to see if I'd left her in there, even though I was well aware that she had come out with me when I first left that room.

Bad choice.

Even as I hurried over, I had yet again forgotten to protect myself from the evils of the Shadow Temple with the Lens of Truth. It didn't matter at first; I ignored the bruises I'd obtained and kept on running. But naturally, Fate had other ideas for the truly pitiful excuse for a Hero of Time, and she'd employed my very own forgetfulness to work against me! (That dirty, traitorous wretch!) For as I ran at a frenzied pace towards the doorway, rendered very nearly blind without my precious Lens, I took one wrong step and—smack!

Ouch.

My eyes underwent a brief struggle to stay open; then, at my body's insistence, they submitted to oblivion, and blackness overtook me.

Peace. . . .

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Hey, where's Navi? I don't know! Now, review! I'll love you forever if you leave me a note! Link and Navi are some of the most fun characters to portray in the entire world, I swear. And, seeing as it is 1:55 AM, which means I've been awake for nineteen hours, I suppose I ought to finish a few things and try to head off to bed by 3. But anyway, please review! I'll . . . review your Ocarina of Time fics if you review mine! We can trade off!

By the way, did anyone notice that nifty little paragraph about the fic title? I'm rather proud of it. Now review!